Wigtown

Towns & Villages

Wigtown is Scotland's National Book Town and is the gateway to the Machars.

Wigtown is the home of the annual Wigtown Book Festival and the town has a wide range of independent bookshops. There are plenty of places to eat out within the town. Situated seven miles south of Newton Stewart, Wigtown is well placed for exploring the Machars peninsula.

Near Wigtown is the Martyrs' Stake which marks the spot where two women covenanters were drowned in May 1685. A marked walk through the town will take you there via the County Buildings, which used to be the local courtroom and now houses the town library. The walk has views over Wigtown Bay and the Galloway Hills.

Wigtown Bay is great for bird watching, and you can even watch ospreys on CCTV at the County Buildings during the summer.